Multi-layer covering

ABSTRACT

A multi-layer covering includes a flexible fabric layer. The fabric layer may be a fluffy blanket or a mesh. The multi-layer covering further includes a metallic reflective foil (or paper) support layer, and a layer of adhesive protected by a peel-off backing layer for ease of applying the covering to a surface. When covering a wall, the covering is stuck to the wall and one or more protective coatings of paint render such as acrylic are applied to the blanket with a brush or roller or spray. The blanket provides an even surface when coated with render paint and avoids the need for extensive preparation of the wall. The covering may also be applied to floors, ceilings and roofs and covered with differing coatings, including acrylic render, plaster, paint, glue, and other surface treatments. The covering may be used to cover cracks and undulations in buildings and other structures.

This application is a 371 National Phase filing of PCT/AU2004/000887filed Jul. 5, 2004 which claims priority to Australia Patent ApplicationNo. 2003903384, filed Jul. 3, 2003; and to Australian Patent ApplicationNo. 2003904247, filed Aug. 12, 2003; and to Australia Patent ApplicationNo. 2003905091, filed Sep. 18, 2003; and to Australian PatentApplication No. 2004901276, filed Mar. 12, 2004, all of whichapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a multi-layer covering and in particular to acovering for a wall, ceiling floor, roof or the like of a building orother structure. The invention also relates to a method for covering awall, ceiling, floor, roof or the like by applying a covering to thewall, ceiling, floor, roof or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to those who are familiar in the art that cracks andundulations of surfaces appear in buildings and structures at the outsetof the building process due to poor workmanship, and later, once thebuilding so to move and settle, cracks appear due to movement of basematerials and framework. It is known to improve the integrity ofexisting buildings by filling cracks in the walls, or ceilings of thebuilding and apply render. However, for the most part, exiting methodsfor treating buildings by rendering them or the like, are timeconsuming, require extensive preparation and are generally only suitablefor application by skilled tradespersons. Consequently, existing walland ceiling treatment and rendering systems are expensive and unsuitablefor unskilled and semi-skilled home renovators.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or thelike which has been included in the present specification is solely forthe purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is notto be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form partof the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the fieldrelevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority dateof each claim of this application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a methodof treating a wall, floor, roof, or ceiling, comprising the step of:

applying a flexible fabric layer to the wall, the fabric layer beingselected from the group consisting of:

a blanket having a thickness of 2 mm to 20 mm, the blanket being madefrom fibre strands formed either as a weave or being non-woven, anddefining gaps between the strands or in the blanket, or in the form of abatt having holes punched therethrough; and a flexible mesh layer havinga spacing between strands of the mesh of 5 mm to 20 mm; and the step of

applying one or more coatings to the fabric layer.

The invention provides a flexible strong webbing that will support anouter coating and assist in the covering of cracks and undulations toachieve an acceptable surface. Both the coating and the covering shouldhave the same degree of flexibility as each other and a similar amountof movement as the movement of the building structure, within a certainrange of movement. Provided that these cracks and undulations are nomore than 10 mm and preferably less than 3 mm, the covering may stretchacross those cracks and gaps. The bridging of the cracks and gaps savestime and costs during construction, and later when movement of thestructure creates gaps and cracks, the covering assists in the coveringof these unsightly cracks and undulations. This covering also preventsweather entering the building through the cracks and prevents the buildup of dust and mildew in these cracks which if left unattended couldbecome a heath hazard. The fabric will cover most cracks undulations andimperfections in the wall, floor, or ceiling. It will also act as amatrix for absorbing the coating which may be paint, acrylic paintrender or the like

In a particular related aspect the present invention, there is provideda method of treating a wall, floor, roof, or ceiling comprising thesteps of:

applying a flexible fluffy blanket layer to the wall, the blanket havinga thickness of 2 mm to 20 mm, the blanket being made from fibre strandsformed either as a weave or being nonwoven, and defining gaps betweenthe strands or in the blanket, or in the form of a batt having holespunched therethrough; and

applying one or more coatings to the blanket.

In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the blanket is in the rangeof 2 mm to 5 mm.

The term non-woven blanket encompasses any non-woven blanket made fromfibres including batts and spun bonded blankets.

On one embodiment the blanket is woven and the gaps between adjacentfibres of the blanket range from 0.3 mm to 3 mm, most preferably 0.6 mmto 3 mm.

In an alternative embodiment the blanket is a batt or is spun bonded andthrough holes having a diameter of 0.3 mm to 3 mm, most preferably 0.6mm to 3 mm, are formed in the batt or spun bonded blanket.

In the case where a wall, particularly an external wall, is beingcovered, the protective coating will typically be a render paint such asan acrylic render paint and will be applied with a brush or roller orspray. Other paints could be used including oil based paints, lime-washrenders and the like. The type of render paint utilised will depend onthe characteristics of the blanket layer. Acrylic render typicallyincludes a relatively thick mixture of cement, sand and acrylic polymer,although renders other than cement and sand may be used. The renderprovides “body” in the render paint and allows persons applying therender paint to vary the appearance of the external surface as well asproviding protection for the weather and a vehicle to provide color tothe overall coating. The acrylic polymer acts as a sort of “glue” andassists in holding the render together. Typically, the sand/cementparticles in the acrylic render have a diameter from 0.06 mm to 0.2 mm.The sand and cement particles penetrate into the gaps between the fibresof the blanket or the holes in the batt as far as the face of the walland saturate the blanket with acrylic render paint. The blanket alsoprovides a protective and supporting surface when coated with renderpaint.

The holes in the blanket must be sufficiently large to allow water toreadily drain out of the blanket as well as allowing relatively freeflow of the coarser materials of the acrylic render paint through theblanket at the time of application, but form a support matrix for theacrylic render paint once it dries and sets.

The weave or batt is preferably resilient and stretchable. A supportingbacking layer of building paper or strong metallic reflective foil maybe provided for strengthening the blanket.

The metallic reflective foil or paper supporting layer is preferablycoated with an adhesive protected by a peel-off protective layer to makethe covering easy to apply.

The fibres of the blanket are preferably corrosion resistant andhydrophobic and resistant to ultraviolet radiation, and resistant tomost chemical solvents, mineral turps, kerosene, petrol, detergents andpaint thinners.

Acrylic paint renders are sold with varying percentages of acrylicpolymer with the cheaper renders containing less acrylic polymer.Advantageously, by providing a blanket which acts as a matrix for therender, relatively cheaper acrylic render paints with less acrylicpolymer can be used. The blanket's function in this case is to provideadditional flexible support structure and bonding between the outercoating of render and the supporting metallic reflective foil or paperlayer.

Where the method is used for covering ceilings, relatively thinnerblankets are used typically having a thickness of 2 mm to 10 mm, mostpreferably around 2 mm to 5 mm, and the blanket may simply be coated ina standard paint, such as an acrylic paint.

The method may also be used on floors in which case the peel off layeris removed and the metallic reflective foil layer stuck to the existingfloor surface. The blanket can then be coated in grout, tiling cement,adhesive or the like depending on the type of floor finish required andwill absorb some of the coating and provide a bond between the floorfinish and the metallic reflective foil. The metallic reflexive foillayer provides heat insulation. The blanket provides both heat and soundinsulation.

The invention also provides a covering for application to a wallceiling, floor or roof of a building or like struggle comprising afabric layer selected from the group of fabrics layers consisting of:

a stretchable strong blanket which may be woven or non woven or in theform of a batt having holes punched therethrough, and which ispreferably non corrosive for application to exterior or interiorbuilding walls; and

a flexible mesh layer having a spacing between strands of 5 mm to 20 mm.

In a particular related aspect, the invention also provides a coveringfor application to a wall ceiling, floor or roof of a building or otherstructure or the like comprising a stretchable strong blanket which maybe woven or non woven or in the form of a batt having holes punchedtherethrough, and which is preferably non corrosive for application toexterior or interior building walls roofs ceilings floors or the like.

Where the fabric is a blanket, it is preferred that the blanket layer isfrom 2 mm to 20 mm in thickness, most preferably 2 mm to 5 mm thick. Theblanket is preferably made from a plastics material most typically fibreglass or recycled PET fibres and the gaps between the fibres are 0.3 mmto 3 mm, most preferably 0.6 mm to 3 mm and are large enough so that thesand and cement particles of the acrylic cement render paint will passthrough the gaps.

Typically, a support layer may be fixed to the blanket which could be alayer of building paper or most preferably a strong metallic reflectivefoil.

Preferably, one side of the laminate for attachment to a wall or thelike is coated with a strong adhesive layer which is protected by a peeloff layer to cover a protected adhesive prior to the application of theblanket to a wall, ceiling, floor or roof or the like.

The covering may be used in roofing applications as a wrap covering theroof structure and associated members and particularly over outer planarsurfaces before the application of an external roof cladding material,in which case the preferred thickness is 5 to 10 mm. The roof coveringmay be quickly and safely applied to the roof structure using theself-adhesive layer. The blanket layer will absorb the glue which inturn gives a strong flexible adhesive to permit bonding onto the outerroof cladding material. In addition, the external roof cladding materialmay be fixed to the base layer using screws or the like. The blanket andfoil provide sound and heat insulation.

In a further related aspect of the present invention, there is provideda method of treating a wall, ceiling floor or roof comprising the stepsof applying a flexible mesh layer to the wall ceiling floor or roofhaving a spacing between strands of 5 mm to 20 mm; and

applying one or more protective coatings to the mesh.

Preferably the mesh includes a backing layer which may typically bemetallic reflective foil or paper.

The backing layer may be coated with an adhesive cover in a peel-offprotective layer for ease of application of the mesh layer to the wall,ceiling floor or roof.

The mesh may have a thickness of 1 to 4 mm, most typically 1 to 2 mm.

In a related aspect, the present invention also provides a coveringmaterial for walls, ceilings roofs or floors comprising:

a flexible mesh layer having a spacing between strands of the mesh of 5mm to 20 mm;

a reflective metallic foil backing layer;

a layer of adhesive applied to the foil backing layer; and

a removable protective layer covering the adhesive.

Preferably the spacing between the strands of mesh is 5 mm to 10 mm.

Typically the mesh has a thickness of 1 to 4 mm, most typically 1 to 2mm

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way ofexample only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a covering/wrap

FIG. 1 a is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a covering/wrap, being a variant ofthe first embodiment, applied to a wall;

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of a covering/wrap

FIG. 3 a is a plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 shows the third embodiment applied to a wall of a building;

FIG. 5 shows the second embodiment applied to a floor;

FIG. 6 shows the second embodiment applied to a ceiling; and

FIG. 7 shows the second embodiment applied to a roof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings FIG. 1 shows a multi-layer covering 10comprising a first layer of a fabric which in the particular embodimentis a fluffy blanket 12 having a thickness of 2 to 4 mm, but which could,as described below, also be a mesh. The blanket is typically made ofwoven fibre glass but may be woven from other plastic materials,including recycled plastics such as recycled PET. The blanket may alsobe a batt or other unwoven matted plastic matrix, including aspun-bonded layer, or other suitable non-corrosive, non-toxic, flexiblematerial resistant to radiation, ultra-violet, rays, most commercialsolvents, (including mineral turpentine, kerosene, petrol, detergents,and paint thinners and the like).

Where a woven blanket, or non-woven blanket such as a spun bonded layer,is used the gaps between the fibres in the weave are generally between0.3 mm to 3.0 mm and preferably between 0.6 mm and 3.0 mm. Where a battor the like is used a matrix of closely spaced “particle holes” 27having a diameter of from 0.3 mm to 3 mm, most preferably 0.6 mm to 3 mmmay be punched trough the batt.

Fixed to one side of the blanket by adhesive or any other suitable meansis a building paper backing layer 14. Fixed to that layer is a foilmultilayer comprising two layers of metallic reflective foil 16 and 20sandwiching a layer of paper 18. In other embodiments a single layer ofmetallic reflective foil may substitute for the foil multilayer and, asshown in FIG. 2, the building paper backing layer and the foilmultilayer may be substituted by a single strong metallic reflectivefoil layer 20.

A layer of adhesive 22 coats the opposite face of the foil layer 20 andthis is protected by a peel-off protective backing layer 24.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 1 a in particular, a rectangular or squarepattern or grid of blister holes 29 is punched through the layers 12,16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. The holes need not extend through the peel-offlayer 24, but typically will. The diameter D of the holes is generallyfrom 0.5 mm to 10 mm but preferably 1 mm to 5 mm. Generally the spacingbetween the holes may be 10 mm to 300 mm but the preferred spacingbetween the blister holes is 10 mm to 50 mm. The holes allow air toescape turning application of the covering and provide an economicalguide line between the holes for on site cutting to match an adjacentcovering layer.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of covering 10 a in which theblanket 12 is attached by adhesive, or other suitable means, to a singlestrong metallic reflective foil layer 26, the reverse face of the wallcovering being coated in a layer of adhesive 22, covered by a peel-offprotective layer, not shown in FIG. 2 which illustrates the coveringattached to a wall, after the peel-off protective layer has beenremoved.

In a first use, the covering of FIGS. 1 and 2 can be applied torelatively uneven and poorly prepared wall surfaces 28 of buildings andother structures by “handy-persons”, DIY enthusiasts and persons withouttrades skills. The peel-off protective layer is removed and the coveringis simply stuck to the wall. The covering will cover cracks andundulations.

However, although the covering may be applied to poorly prepared wallsurfaces, it is preferred that at least a clean surface without greaseor salts is provided. For best results surface pre-treatments create aclean surface that will make a clean strong bond with the adhesive 22 ofthe covering. Preferably also existing gaps and cracks such as cracksand joints between bricks are filled. The covering may be applied towalls in a similar manner to wallpaper. The edges of abutting sheets ofwall covering, once applied to a wall, may be interwoven or other wisejoined together. One way of achieving this is to have the outer blanket4 mm wider than the metallic reflective foil layer/building paper,overlapping by 2 mm each side. The overlap will provide an interwiningof blanket fibres that can be combed together after the blanket isapplied to the surface. This overlapping will protect the coveringduring transportation and handling. Any off-cuts may be used forpatching up work or the like.

Next a protective coating in the form of a render paint such as anacrylic render paint is applied with a brush or roller or spray nozzle.Acrylic render paint includes a relatively thick mixture of cement, sandand acrylic polymer. The cement and sand provide “body” in the renderand allow persons applying the render to vary the appearance of theexternal surface as well as providing protection for the weather and avehicle to provide colour to the overall coating. The acrylic polymeracts as a sort of “glue” and assists in cementing the render together.Typically, the sand/cement particles in the acrylic render have adiameter from 0.06 mm to 0.2 mm. The coarse sand and cement particlespenetrate into the gaps between the fibres of the blanket or the holesin the batt as far as the face of the wall and together with the acrylicrender paint saturate the blanket with acrylic render paint. The blanketalso provides an even surface when coated with render paint covering upimperfections in the underlying wall.

The holes in the blanket must be sufficiently large to allow water toreadily drain out of the blanket as well as allowing relatively freeflow of the coarser materials of the acrylic render paint through theblanket during the process of applying the render.

The coating may be applied intermittently and does not need to beapplied as soon as the covering has been applied to the wall since thecovering will allow water to drain out, and the covering is weatherprooffor a short duration, typically about seven days.

When used for a wall the covering 10 a has a preferred thickness of 2 to20 mm, most preferably 2 to 5 mm, and the gaps in the blanket are 0.3 mmto 3 mm, most preferably 0.6 mm to 3 mm.

The blanket covers undulations and cracks in the wall and provides asmooth outer wall surface with minimum effort.

FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment in which the fabric layer comprises amesh 30 of fibre strands in a grid formation of square openings (butwhich could be other shapes) having a width of 5 mm to 20 mm, mostpreferably 5 mm to 10 mm. FIG. 3 a is a plan view of the mesh 30. Asupport layer of metallic reflective foil 32 is fixed to the mesh. Thefoil is coated with an adhesive layer 33, which is protected by apeel-off protective layer 34. In one less-preferred embodiment the foilmay be replaced with a strong paper such as building paper. Again,blister holes 29 extend through the layers 32, 33, 34.

The covering may be applied to a wall and coated with a render paintsuch as an acrylic reader paint. The meshes having openings of a size of5 mm to 10 mm less expensive acrylic render paint. Meshes havingopenings of 10 mm to 20 mm require more expensive acrylic render.

FIGS. 5 to 7 illustrate other uses of the coverings of FIGS. 2 and 3.

In particular, FIG. 5 shows the covering 10 a applied to a floor 50which may be a concrete slab, or timber, plywood or particleboard floor.The peel-off layer 24 is removed and the foil 26 stuck to the surface ofthe floor. A floor surface is then applied over the top of the blanket.The floor surface could be tiles 52 in which case they are stuck to alayer of tiling cement or grout 54 applied to the blanket which isabsorbed by the blanket and penetrates to the foil layer. Alternatively,if a timber floor surface (not shown) is to be provided, the timbersurface is applied over an adhesive which has been pressed into theblanket leaving some glue remaining on the surface of the blanket thesurface glue provides adhesion to the timber flooring which absorbs theglue and becomes impregnated with it to form a flexible gel thatsupports and adheres to the proposed flooring. The covering, as well ascovering imperfections in the door and providing a smooth surface forthe application of tiles/timber also provides substantially improvedheat and sound insulation. When used for a floor the covering 10 a has apreferred thickness of 2 to 10 mm, most preferably 2 to 5 mm, and thegaps in the blanket are 0.3 mm to 3 mm, most preferably 0.6 mm to 3 mm.

The mesh of FIG. 3 may be applied to a floor in the same way as thecovering 10 a, as described above. Where the mesh of FIG. 3 is appliedto a floor, the spacing between the strands is 5 mm to 20 mm, preferably5 mm to 10 mm. The thickness of the mesh is 1 mm to 4 mm, mostpreferably 1 mm to 2 mm.

FIG. 6 illustrates the covering 10 a applied to a ceiling 60 which maytypically be plasterboard or the like. Again the peel-off layer isremoved and the covering is simply stuck to the ceiling. The coveringcovers any cracks or holes. The blanket is then painted typically withan acrylic or other paint 62, rather than an acrylic render paint. Themetallic reflective foil layer and blanket provide heat insulation, andthe blanket sound insulation. When used for a exiling the covering 10 ahas a preferred thickness of 2 to 10 mm, most preferably 2 to 5 mm, andthe gaps in the blanket are 0.3 mm to 3 mm most preferably 0.6 mm to 3mm.

The mesh of FIG. 3 may be applied to a ceiling in the same way as thecovering 10 a, as described above. Where the mesh of FIG. 3 is appliedto a ceiling, the spacing between the strands is 5 mm to 20 mm,preferably 5 mm to 10 mm. The thickness of the mesh is 1 mm to 4 mm,most preferably 1 mm to 2 mm.

FIG. 7 illustrates a yet further use for the covering 10 a as a wrap fora roof structure, which in the described embodiment is the outerstructural element 70 of a roof, typically a fibro sheet or sheet ofplywood, but may be rafters or other roof members or structures beforethe application of tiles, corrugated steel or other external roofcladding material 72. The covering 10 a may be quickly and safelyapplied to the planar base using the self-adhesive layer 26. The blanketlayer will adsorb the adhesive which is used to glue the external roofcladding material 72 to the covering. The external roof claddingmaterial may also be to the base layer using screws or the like. Theblanket and foil provide sound and heat insulation. When used for aceiling the covering 10 a has a preferred thickness of 2 to 20 mm, mostpreferably 5 to 10 mm, and the gaps in the blanket are 0.3 mm to 3 mm,most preferably 0.6 mm to 3 mm.

The mesh of FIG. 3 may be applied to a roof in the same way as thecovering 10 a, as described above. Were the mesh of FIG. 3 is applied toa roof, the spacing between the stands is 5 mm to 20 mm, preferably 5 mmto 10 mm. The thickness of the mesh is 1 mm to 4 mm, most preferably 1mm to 2 mm.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown inthe specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive.

1. A multi-layer covering comprising: a laminate sheet adapted to coveran object surface, such as a surface of a building or other solid objectand to support an applied coating, the laminate sheet having: a fabriclayer defining an outer surface of the multi-layer covering; a generallyplanar non-fabric backing layer bonded to an inner surface of the fabriclayer and coextensive with the fabric layer; an adhesive disposed on aninner surface of the backing layer; and a removable protective layercovering the adhesive on the inner surface of the backing layer; whereinthe protective layer is removable to allow the multi-layer covering tobe adhered to and cover the object surface, such that the outer surfaceof the multi-layer covering provides a smooth outer surface forsupporting the applied coating; and wherein the fabric layer issufficiently porous to allow the applied coating to penetrate to thebacking layer and the backing layer has a series of through holesadapted to allow the applied coating to penetrate through the backinglayer to the object surface.
 2. A multi-layer covering as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the holes in the backing layer comprise a grid ofblister holes punched through the backing layer.
 3. A multi-layercovering as claimed in claim 2 wherein the holes have a diameter of 0.5mm to 10 mm and the holes are spaced apart by 10 mm to 300 mm.
 4. Amulti-layer covering as claimed in claim 3 wherein the holes have adiameter of 0.6 mm to 5 mm and the holes are spaced apart by 10 mm to 50mm.
 5. A multi-layer covering as claimed in claim 1 wherein a grid ofthrough holes is defined in at least the backing layer and the fabriclayer.
 6. A multi-layer covering as claimed in claim 5 wherein the holeshave a diameter of 0.5 mm to 10 mm and the holes are spaced apart by 10mm to 300 mm.
 7. A multi-layer covering as claimed in claim 6 whereinthe holes have a diameter of 0.6 mm to 5 mm and the holes are spacedapart by 10 mm to 50 mm.
 8. A multi-layer covering as claimed in claim 1wherein the fabric layer is formed from a woven fabric having athickness from 2 mm to 20 mm, the woven fabric being made from fibres orstrands and wherein either gaps between fibres in the woven fabric aredefined in the range of 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm or holes having a diameter of0.3 mm to 3.0 mm are formed in the woven fabric.
 9. A multi-layercovering as claimed in claim 8 wherein the fabric layer has a thicknessof 2 mm to 5 mm.
 10. A multi-layer covering as claimed in claim 1wherein the fabric layer is a flexible mesh layer that defines a spacingbetween strands of the mesh of 3 mm to 20 mm.
 11. A multi-layer coveringas claimed in claim 1 wherein the fabric layer is a non-woven fabric,such as a batt, having a thickness from 2 mm to 20 mm, the non-wovenfabric being made from fibres or strands and wherein either gaps betweenfibres or strands in the non-woven fabric are defined in the range of0.3 mm to 3.0 mm or holes having a diameter of 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm areformed in the non-woven fabric.
 12. A multi-layer covering as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the fabric layer is made from a plastics material suchas fibre glass or PET fibres.
 13. A multi-layer covering as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the backing layer is a metallic reflective foil.
 14. Amulti-layer covering as claimed in claim 1 wherein the backing layerincludes a metallic reflective foil and building paper.
 15. Amulti-layer covering as claimed in claim 1 wherein the backing layer isa building paper.
 16. A multi-layer covering as claimed in claim 1wherein the backing layer includes two metallic reflective foilssandwiching a sheet of building paper.
 17. A method of treating anobject surface such as a wall, ceiling, roof, or floor comprising thesteps of: providing a multi-layer covering comprising a laminate sheet,the laminate sheet including: a porous fabric layer defining an outersurface of the multi-layer covering; a generally planar non-fabricbacking layer having a series of through holes, the backing layer beingbonded to an inner surface of the fabric layer and coextensive with thefabric layer; an adhesive disposed on an inner surface of the backinglayer; and a removable protective layer covering the adhesive on theinner surface of the backing layer; removing the removable protectivelayer of the multi-layer covering; applying the multi-layer covering tothe object surface, using the adhesive to retain the multi-layercovering in position, so that substantially all of the object surface iscovered by both the fabric layer and the backing layer and so that theouter surface of the multi-layer covering provides a smooth outersurface; and applying one or more coatings to the smooth outer surfaceof the multi-layer covering, such that the applied coating penetratesthrough the fabric layer and through the holes of the backing layer tothe object surface.
 18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the stepof applying one or more coatings comprises applying one or more coatingsof acrylic render or paint.
 19. A method as claimed in claim 17 whereinthe multi-layer covering is applied to a wall and the coating is arender or paint applied with a brush, roller, or spray gun.
 20. A methodas claimed in claim 18 wherein the coating includes cement and/or sandparticles and an acrylic polymer binder and wherein the sand and cementparticles are sufficiently small to penetrate into the gaps between thefibres of the fabric layer and the holes in the backing layer to reachthe object surface so that the covering is saturated with acrylic renderor paint.
 21. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the covering isapplied to a roof and the coating is an adhesive or sealant.
 22. Amethod as claimed in claim 17 wherein the covering is applied to a floorand the coating is tiling cement, grout, or adhesive.